Computer assisted determination of acetabular cup orientation using 2D-3D image registration

Background: 2D-3D image-based registration methods have been developed to measure acetabular cup orientation after total hip arthroplasty (THA). These methods require registration of both the prosthesis and the CT images to 2D radiographs and compute implant position with respect to a reference. The application of these methods is limited in clinical practice due to two limitations: (1) the requirement of a computer-aided design (CAD) model of the prosthesis, which may be unavailable due to the proprietary concerns of the manufacturer, and (2) the requirement of either multiple radiographs or radiograph-specific calibration, usually unavailable for retrospective studies. In this paper, we propose a new method to address these limitations. Methods: A new formulation for determination of post-operative cup orientation, which couples a radiographic measurement with 2D-3D image matching, was developed. In our formulation, the radiographic measurement can be obtained with known methods so that the challenge lies in the 2D-3D image matching. To solve this problem, a hybrid 2D-3D registration scheme combining a landmark-to-ray 2D-3D alignment with a robust intensity-based 2D-3D registration was used. The hybrid 2D-3D registration scheme allows computing both the post-operative cup orientation with respect to an anatomical reference and the pelvic tilt and rotation with respect to the X-ray imaging table/plate. The method was validated using 2D adult cadaver hips. Results: Using the hybrid 2D-3D registration scheme, our method showed a mean accuracy of 1.0 ± 0.7° (range from 0.1°to2.0°) for inclination and 1.7 ± 1.2° (range from 0.0° to 3.9°) for anteversion, taking the measurements from post-operative CT images as ground truths. Conclusions: Our new solution formulation and the hybrid 2D-3D registration scheme facilitate estimation of post-operative cup orientation and measurement of pelvic tilt and rotatio

A Built-In-Test Circuit for Functional Verification & PVT Variations Monitoring of CMOS RF Circuits

Built-In-Test (BIT) for Radio Frequency (RF) integrated circuits can reduce the testing cost, especially with the increase of integration level and operating frequency. A fully integrated CMOS BIT detection circuit is presented in this work. This BIT detection circuit is rectifier-based and low threshold voltage diode-connected MOS transistor with substrate positively-biased is used to improve the detecting sensitivity. As an example, a 2.4GHz LNA is used, the high frequency small signal gain is extracted and the gain fluctuation due to Process, supply Voltage and Temperature (PVT) variations is also investigated. The simulation results show that this BIT detection circuit can realize on-chip functional verification of RF circuits and also monitor the influence of PVT variations on the performance of the circuit without affecting the high frequency performance of the measured RF circuits

Gamma globulin improves pulmonary function and increases C3 and C4 serum levels of septic children in pediatric intensive care unit

Purpose: To probe into the effects of gamma globulin on the pulmonary functions, and C3 and C4 serum levels of septic children in pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). Methods: Sixty-seven children with sepsis were retrospectively analyzed and assigned into study group (SG, n = 36) and control group (CG, n = 31) based on treatment modalities. The children in CG received conventional sepsis treatment, while children in SG were treated with gamma globulin. Differences in pulmonary function as well as C3 and C4 serum levels were compared in both groups before and after treatment. Children in SG were assigned into mild group (n = 21) and severe group (n = 15) in based on the severity of their conditions. Results: After treatment, SG showed higher forced vital capacity (FVC) and peak expiratory flow (PEF) than CG (p < 0.05). SG also showed higher C3 and C4 serum levels than CG after treatment (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Administration of gamma globulin to children in PICU significantly improves lung function and increases their serum C3 and C4 levels. C3 and C4 serum levels of septic children in PICU correlate with prognosis. Hence, C3 and C4 can be regarded as indicators for the diagnosis, evaluation and prognosis of septic children in PICU

Analysis of Hall Anchor Pulling Force on Soft Soil Condition

Taking 60kg C Hall anchor as an example. We established the pulling anchor model on soft soil condition based on the theoretical formula and hall anchor simulation model in CEL analysis method of ABAQUS software. That got the pulling force in soft soil and the flow of soft soil. These results show that although the method of theoretical calculation can accurately calculate the pulling force, could not reflect the change of the pulling force with the change of the distance of pulling anchor, and could not assess the stability of the pulling force. In the results of numerical calculation, the pulling force in soft soil is a wave force. In the results of the flow of soft soil, the wave of the force in first 20 seconds is related to the concave pit in the initial formation of the anchor, in this stage, to avoid the slide of the anchor, the pulling speed and the pulling force should be controlled to reduce

Face recognition based on improved Retinex and sparse representation

AbstractIn this paper, we proposed a method based on improved Retinex theory and sparse representation to deal with the difficulties for face recognition under inhomogeneous illumination. In our work, the total variation model was introduced to optimize the parameters of Retinex and the illumination insensitive features were extracted as the dictionary of sparse representation. Finally, the facial images could be recognized by the proposed algorithm. The experimental results on different benchmark face databases indicated that the proposed approach could be more efficient than traditional methods for face images under uncontrolled illumination conditions

Gamma globulin improves pulmonary function and increases C3 and C4 serum levels of septic children in pediatric intensive care unit

Purpose: To probe into the effects of gamma globulin on the pulmonary functions, and C3 and C4 serum levels of septic children in pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). Methods: Sixty-seven children with sepsis were retrospectively analyzed and assigned into study group (SG, n = 36) and control group (CG, n = 31) based on treatment modalities. The children in CG received conventional sepsis treatment, while children in SG were treated with gamma globulin. Differences in pulmonary function as well as C3 and C4 serum levels were compared in both groups before and after treatment. Children in SG were assigned into mild group (n = 21) and severe group (n = 15) in based on the severity of their conditions. Results: After treatment, SG showed higher forced vital capacity (FVC) and peak expiratory flow (PEF) than CG (p < 0.05). SG also showed higher C3 and C4 serum levels than CG after treatment (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Administration of gamma globulin to children in PICU significantly improves lung function and increases their serum C3 and C4 levels. C3 and C4 serum levels of septic children in PICU correlate with prognosis. Hence, C3 and C4 can be regarded as indicators for the diagnosis, evaluation and prognosis of septic children in PICU

Vibrationally-resolved X-ray spectra of diatomic systems: Time-independent and time-dependent simulations

We systematically investigated vibronic coupling effects in X-ray spectra of diatomic systems using time-independent (TI) and time-dependent (TD) methods. Under the TI framework, we studied 5 systems (N$_2$, N$_2^+$, NO$^+$, CO, CO$^+$) in their lowest C/N/O 1s excited or ionized states, generating 10 X-ray absorption (XAS) or photoelectron (XPS) spectra using density functional theory (DFT) with two pure (BLYP, BP86) and two hybrid (B3LYP, M06-2X) functionals. Excellent agreement between theoretical and experimental spectra was found in most systems, except that in O1s XAS of CO and NO$^+$, intensities of higher-energy peaks were underestimated. We established a connection between their complex vibronic structures and the significant geometrical changes induced by the O1s hole. Functional dependence in diatomic systems is generally more pronounced than in polyatomic ones. In all examined cases, pure functionals exhibit better or similar spectral accuracy to hybrid functionals, attributed to superior prediction accuracy in bond lengths and vibrational frequencies. With the TD wavepacket method, we simulated vibrationally-resolved XAS of CO$^+$, NO$^+$, and CO using potential energy curves (PECs) generated at both DFT and multiconfigurational levels. Both TD and TI generate similar C/O 1s XAS spectra of CO$^+$. For O1s XAS of NO$^+$ and CO, TD calculations significantly improved the corresponding TI results, demonstrating sensitivity to the anharmonic effect and the PEC quality. TI and TD approaches are complementary, with practical applications depending on the ease and accuracy of excited-state geometry optimization or PEC scanning, and the significance of anharmonicity. DFT with pure functionals is recommended for diatomic calculations due to its easy execution and reliable accuracy. TI is optimal for most scenarios, but TD is needed for problems with strong anharmonic effects.Comment: 11 figure

A Distinguisher on PRESENT-Like Permutations with Application to SPONGENT

At Crypto 2015, Blondeau et al. showed a known-key analysis on the full PRESENT lightweight block cipher. Based on some of the best differential distinguishers, they introduced a meet in the middle (MitM) layer to pre-add the differential distinguisher, which extends the number of attacked rounds on PRESENT from 26 rounds to full rounds without reducing differential probability. In this paper, we generalize their method and present a distinguisher on a kind of permutations called PRESENT-like permutations. This generic distinguisher is divided into two phases. The first phase is a truncated differential distinguisher with strong bias, which describes the unbalancedness of the output collision on some fixed bits, given the fixed input in some bits, and we take advantage of the strong relation between truncated differential probability and capacity of multidimensional linear approximation to derive the best differential distinguishers. The second phase is the meet-in-the-middle layer, which is pre-added to the truncated differential to propagate the differential properties as far as possible. Different with Blondeau et al.\u27s work, we extend the MitM layers on a 64-bit internal state to states with any size, and we also give a concrete bound to estimate the attacked rounds of the MitM layer. As an illustration, we apply our technique to all versions of SPONGENT permutations. In the truncated differential phase, as a result we reach one, two or three rounds more than the results shown by the designers. In the meet-in-the-middle phase, we get up to 11 rounds to pre-add to the differential distinguishers. Totally, we improve the previous distinguishers on all versions of SPONGENT permutations by up to 13 rounds

Effects of a Disease Management Program in Individuals with Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency

Disease management programs improve outcomes in subjects with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but their effect in subjects with alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD) has not been evaluated. To assess the impact of a disease management program, applicable to subjects with AATD-associated COPD throughout the United States, on exacerbations, healthcare resource utilization and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The Alpha-1 Disease Management and Prevention Program (ADMAPP) consisted of comprehensive written educational patient-directed material for self-study and treatment plans. Program reinforcement was performed through monthly phone calls by specialized coordinators. Outcomes were collected prospectively for 12 months before, and 12 months after enrollment into the program. Exacerbations and healthcare resource utilization were recorded monthly. HRQoL was measured with the St George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) every 6 months and the Short Form- 36 (SF-36) every 12 months. A total of 878 subjects completed the 2-year study. During the intervention year, there was a significant increase in the use of long-acting bronchodilators, better compliance with oxygen therapy, and more use of steroid courses during exacerbations. Total exacerbation rates, unscheduled physician visits and emergency room visits significantly decreased. There was also a statistically significant slowing in the deterioration of the SGRQ's activity domain, while total SGRQ scores remained stable during the study. Significant improvements were observed in some of the SF-36 domains, particularly in the general health domain. The ADMAPP improved health outcomes in subjects with AATD-associated COPD

Chinese Herbal Medicine Qi Ju Di Huang Wan for the Treatment of Essential Hypertension: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials

Background. Chinese herbs are potentially effective for hypertension. Qi Ju Di Huang Wan (QJDHW) is a commonly used Chinese herbal medicine as a monotherapy or in combination with other antihypertensive agents for the treatment of essential hypertension (EH). However, there is no critically appraised evidence such as systematic reviews or meta-analyses on the effectiveness and safety of QJDHW for EH. Methods and Findings. CENTRAL, PubMed, CBM, CNKI, VIP, and online clinical trial registry websites were searched for published and unpublished randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of QJDHW for essential hypertension up to January 2013 with no language restrictions. A total of 10 randomized trials involving 1024 patients were included. Meta-analysis showed that QJDHW combined with antihypertensive drugs was more effective in lowering blood pressure and improving TCM syndrome for the treatment of essential hypertension than antihypertensive drugs used alone. No trials reported severe adverse events related to QJDHW. Conclusions. Our review suggests that QJDHW combined with antihypertensive drugs might be an effective treatment for lowering blood pressure and improving symptoms in patients with essential hypertension. However, the finding should be interpreted with caution because of the poor methodological quality of included trials. There is an urgent need for well-designed, long-term studies to assess the effectiveness of QJDHW in the treatment of essential hypertension